[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/70218690.jpg]] '''''Father of the Pride''''' is a [[ShortRunner short-lived]] computer-animated sitcom. It is the first television production produced by Creator/DreamWorksAnimation, as well as the first show to use feature film quality CGI. It aired on [=NBC=] on August 31, 2004.

Set in Las Vegas, the series depicts the secret lives of the animals who live there. The main characters are the family of white lions ([[BumblingDad father Larry]], mother Kate, [[GranolaGirl teenage daughter Sierra]], [[TheChewToy young son Hunter]], and [[GrumpyOldMan father-in-law Sarmoti]]) that form part of Siegfried and Roy's act. All the other animals in the Secret Garden (S&R's private zoo) basically act as sitcom neighbors.

The series was heavily hyped during the Olympics before it premiered, and featured [[InkSuitActor loads of celebrities in regular and cameo roles]]. Dreamworks had high hopes for it, but before the premiere, Roy was attacked by one of his tigers, putting a pall on the proceedings. The duo insisted that TheShowMustGoOn.

However, the series was a flop anyhow for several reasons. For one, it was very uncomfortable to watch the show with [[RealitySubtext Roy's recent mauling]] in mind. Many airings were repeatedly interrupted by updates on the 2004 presidential election, and by that point, there had been such a glut of advertising that [[HypeAversion audiences were sick of it]]. Plus, the series was too expensive and time-consuming, with each episode costing over 1.5 million dollars to make and over 9 months to complete[[note]]To compare, an average episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' is about ''half'' of that and production is about three months shorter.[[/note]]. Some episodes never aired in the U.S. (with one that was never finished being animated), though the entire series was released on [=DVD=].

''Father of the Pride'' is mainly remembered now for being one of the most colossal flops in the history of prime-time animation, which prompted DWA [[OldShame to bury this series deep in their animation archives]], eventually having more success in children's shows.

----!!Tropes:

* AccessoryWearingCartoonAnimal: Sierra wears a black collar, Hunter wears an Elizabethan collar (a cone, in other words), Foo Lin wears a bow on her head, Mr. Right wears a purple bow and collar (in "What's Black and White and Depressed All Over?"), and Kelsey Grammer's cat wears a red handkerchief (in "Stage Fright"). A few other animals in the show count as this trope as well.* AdvertisingByAssociation: This was the reason it caught the ire of the [[MoralGuardians Parents Television Council]]; ads for the show cited [[Creator/DreamWorksAnimation its studio]] as the creators of ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'', which they felt would mislead kid/family audiences into watching a show that was most decidedly ''[[AllAdultAnimationIsSouthPark not]]'' made for them.* AlternativeForeignThemeSong: The Japanese theme song is "Ofuro Paradise" by Biyuchifuruzu. A little bit of it can be heard [[http://byuchi-music.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2012-02-20-7 here]].* AluminumChristmasTrees: The Secret Garden really did house a white lion named Sarmoti (albeit a female one).* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Larry and Kate embarrass their daughter Sierra in "Catnip and Trust" due to being high on catnip. Their antics nearly cost Sierra qualification for the honor roll.* AnAesop: Some episodes end on one or two, despite the apparent nature of the series.* AnimatedActors: In this universe, [[WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}} Donkey]] is a celebrity and the star of the Shrek films.* AnthropomorphicZigZag: The animals tend to act like normal animals when working with Siegfried and Roy, but act like humans when they are not in the presence of humans. Occasionally, they will also act sapiently when in the presence of humans anyway.* ArrangedMarriage: Larry and Kate apparently had one. They do genuinely love one another though.* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: In "Possession," Sarmoti teaches Hunter the ancient predatory ways of ''Mombasa''. This tradition is actually the name of a large coastal city in Kenya and has ''nothing'' to do with being a warrior. It is implied that Sarmoti made the whole thing up.* AssShove: Sarmoti hides his poker winnings in the rectum of the zebra rugs made from his first kill. Unfortunately nobody told [[spoiler: Kevin, the very much alive zebra who'd be standing in for the rug after Kate destroyed it]].* BadBadActing: Siegfried and Roy in "Siegfried and Roy: The Movie Fantasy Experience Movie."* BadassGrandpa: Sarmoti.* BerserkButton: Don't tell Kate how to raise her children, even if she's ''your'' child.* BewareTheNiceOnes** Hunter, for most of the show, is a wimp who's frequently bullied and picked on by his big sister. Then Sarmoti teaches him self defense and turns him into a monster who almost kills his sparring partner and, later, tortures Snack.** And as mentioned above, Kate goes ''ballistic'' when her father tries to tell her how to parent her own children, destroying his prized zebra-skin rug out of blind rage.* BigEater: Larry and Sarmoti. The latter rubs his quick metabolism in the former's face in the episode where Larry is trying to lose weight.* BlackBestFriend: Orlando Jones as the gopher [[PunnyName Snack]].** Also, Sarmoti's poker friend who's a black panther.* BlackComedy** In "Catnip and Trust," Larry interrupts a rave looking for Sierra, saying "Sweetie, it's okay. We love you." He's suddenly assaulted by a flamingo jumping into his arms crying about how she doesn't "want to live with mom any more."** Siegfried solemnly saying "I'll get the gun" the minute Larry slips off a pedestal. When Roy says that they're taking him to a vet instead, Siegfried says he wishes Roy was there when his grandmother fell.* BrokenMasquerade: With Snack and Roy in "Stage Fright."* BrutalHonesty: Sarmoti, especially towards Foo Lin.* BunnyEarsLawyer: Seigfried and Roy are portrayed as this. They're even capable of unrehearsed, but more importantly REAL magic, like turning a bamboo staff into an ''edible'' Liquorice Whip..* CallingTheOldManOut: Sierra and Sarmoti in one episode and with Barbara Streisand and a lobster in another episode.** Sarmoti gets one once every other episode, usually from Kate.* TheCameo: [[WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}} Donkey!]]* CampGay: Donkey's stunt double Jarmeece.** Creator/DomDeLuise's character in "One Man's Meat Is Another Man's Girlfriend."* CatsAreMean: Sierra is quite rebellious and sometimes mean, while Sarmoti is always mean to Larry* CatsHateWater[=/=]HatesBaths: Averted with Hunter when we see him in the bath, though Larry threatens him with a water-sprayer when trying to get him to reveal Sierra's whereabouts in "Catnip and Trust."* CatsAreSnarkers: Sarmoti always makes snide remarks about his son-in-law Larry.* CloudCuckooLander: Siegfried and Roy are depicted as very eccentric and with odd perceptions of how the world works, at one point even believing that Las Vegas is in danger because an Applebee's got replaced by a bed and breakfast.* CompanionCube: Sarmoti's zebra rug, made out of his first kill.* CrocodileTears: [[spoiler:Sierra hustles Sartomi out of the money he won from her boyfriend in poker by pretending to bawl and milk sympathy from him in "One Man's Meat is Another Man's Girlfriend".]]* DaddyIssues** Hinted at with Kate and her relationship to Sarmoti. The pilot has her frequently apologizing for his ego and denies any of the obvious signs that he hates Larry. Every episode after has her slowly getting fed up with his bad behavior and revealing that some of the worse things he did during her childhood rubbed off on her.** One RunningGag has Roy frequently bemoaning that his father never loved him. In "Stage Fright," he tries to get Kelsey Grammer (under the assumption that he's a psychiatrist like his character on ''Series/{{Frasier}}'') to help him with this and winds up attacking him during a role play.* DeadpanSnarker: Sierra and Sarmoti, though Larry has his moments as well.* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: "Siegfried and Roy: The Movie Fantasy Experience Movie."* DirtyOldMan: Sarmoti is frequently hitting on younger feline women.** ReallyGetsAround: The unfinished, storyboard-only episode on the DVD reveals that he either has slept with, is sleeping with or plans to sleep with ''every single female in the compound,'' [[InterspeciesRomance regardless of species]].* DomCom [[AC:But [[RecycledInSpace Furry]]!]]* DynamicEntry: Siegfried and Roy's usual schtick. You know the two are about to walk right in your front door when their {{Leitmotif}} starts to play and smoke billows in from out of nowhere. Larry manages to pull off a Dynamic Exit in episode 11 when he is creeped out by the feminist group Kate joined- by dive-bombing out of the first-floor window.* ElaborateUndergroundBase: both Snack and Sarmoti have tunnel networks at their disposal, since the Secret garden is... [[TheAlcatraz rather hard to leave at times.]]* FantasticRacism: Sartomi is shown to be prejudiced towards turkeys in "The Thanksgiving Episode."* FatCat: Mr. Right and Larry* FunWithAcronyms: The name "Sarmoti" is derived from '''S'''iegfried '''A'''nd '''R'''oy '''M'''asters '''O'''f '''T'''he '''I'''mpossible.* FurIsClothing: Snack uses his belly button as a pocket in the pilot episode.* FurryBaldness: Sarmoti's mane doesn't cover the top of his head and is even shown wearing a toupee in the pilot.* FurryConfusion[=/=]FourLegsGoodTwoLegsBetter: Donkey from ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' and his stunt double, Jarmeece walk on four legs, but the zebras usually walk on two legs.** Likewise, Mr. Right, Foo Lin's pet cat, usually walks on all fours, but the lions, tigers, cheetahs, and other cats usually walk on two legs.** Chutney the elephant walks on all four legs, unlike most of the other animals.* FurryFemaleMane: Inverted with the lions of course.* GRatedDrug: Catnip is treated like a drug in "Catnip and Trust". Larry and Kate even start to behave as if they are high after consuming sausages laced with the stuff.* GilliganCut: Combined with FlashbackTwist on one occasion.--> Larry: (one year ago) "I promise I'll never [[ForgottenAnniversary forget our wedding anniversary again]]!"* GoshDarnItToHeck: A brief running joke with Kate in the Thanksgiving episode.-->"Son of a b!"-->"You, sir, can go to ''h''!"** Subverted at the very end with a CurseCutShort:--> "Dad, what the f-" (Cut to black)* GranolaGirl: Sierra.* GratuitousGerman: Siegfried and Roy.* GrowingUpSucks: Larry: "We're a new generation of parents! We had a lot of fun, so you don't have to!"* GrowlingGut: Larry has a hard time shutting up his hungry stomach throughout an episode where he's put on a diet.* HartmanHips: All of the female lions have wide hips and large bottoms.* HighOnCatnip: An entire episode centers around Larry and Kate's assumptions that their daughter is smoking catnip. They end up accidentally ingesting it themselves, and rather... pot-like effects take hold.* {{Homage}}: to the classic family sitcom format, from All In The Family to The Simpsons.* ICouldaBeenAContender: A source of angst for Sarmoti is him messing up a stunt in one of the Siegfried and Roy's earliest television appearances, which lead to a baby Blake steal the show and forever make Siegfried and Roy synonymous with white tigers instead of white lions.* InherentlyFunnyWord: "Monkey Chicken Cheese Balls." According to the DVDCommentary, the writers attempted to work the words "monkey," "chicken," "cheese" and "balls" into the show as much as possible, as they felt they were the four funniest words in comedy. * InnocentInaccurate: In the episode "Donkey", one of Hunter's classmates mentions that Tony the tiger "took a nap" with his mother.* LargeHam: Siegfried and Roy, of course. The final scene of the pilot establishes how they treat ''everything'' like a performance.--> '''Siegfried''': Und so we close zee book on another day of magic unt mystery.\\'''Roy''': No, not yet.\\''(The two strike a "jazz hands" pose and smile)''\\'''Roy''': Now!* {{Leitmotif}}: The chorus of Music/MichaelJackson's "Mind Is The Magic," the theme for the real Siegfried and Roy show in Vegas, plays whenever they enter the scene.* {{Masquerade}}: Think about it. Larry and the rest of the {{Talking Animal}}s usually walk upright but [[AnthropomorphicZigZag tend to drop on all fours in the presence of humans...]]* MeaningfulName** Sarmoti stands for Siegfried and Roy: Masters of The Impossible.** Sierra is a region in Nevada.* MistakenForGay: In "The Siegfried & Roy Movie Fantasy Experience Movie," Kate is taken to a women's self-help club, and [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday upon entering nervously exclaims "I like men!"]]** Becomes a BrickJoke when Larry comes to the group to "save" her:-->'''Larry''': "GIVE ME BACK MY WIFE, YOU CRAZY LESBIANS!"* {{Multiboobage}}: The female pig in the "Donkey" episode has eight nipples.** And there's a couple references to Kate or the other female cats having eight nipples, despite appearing to have humanoid breasts (and real lions only having four nipples).* MythologyGag: After getting kicked by Chutney, Snack bounces off of three sunbathing women's breasts to the tune of the "NBC" station jingle.* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Averted. While Siegfried and Roy are voiced by impersonators, the real Siegfried and Roy are credited as exec producers, making the whole project legitimately sanctioned.** But otherwise played straight - one episode has Dick Cheney and Barbra Streisand.* NobodyPoops: Averted.-->'''Sarmoti:''' ...now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna hit the litter box...hard!* NonhumansLackAttributes: Averted with the female pig in the "Donkey" episode; she has eight nipples showing.* NoodleIncident: From the unfinished episode:--> "So long story short, I don't have to pee sitting down. But I'll admit, at night, it's dark, I do it anyway."** One tiger in "Possession" is shunned for doing something unspeakable (it's heavily implied that he's [[RealitySubtext the tiger who attacked Roy Horn on stage]]).* OffhandBackhand: From Siegfried to Roy.* PandaingToTheAudience: Kate's friend Foo Lin and her date, Nelson from the MissingEpisode, [[SubvertedTrope NOT depicted as token Asian neighbors.]]* PantheraAwesome* PapaWolf: Larry is frequently shown to be '''very''' protective of his daughter.* PaperThinDisguise: Siegfried and Roy attempt to spy on a rival magic show by attending incognito (see: wearing eyeglasses). * ProductPlacement: 7-Eleven, Applebee's and [=TiVO=].* ReadingTheStageDirectionsOutLoud: When Larry, Sarmoti and Snack attempt to kidnap Donkey.--> (The three of them walk past Donkey, Sarmoti carrying a parasol, Larry pushing a carriage with Snack inside, dressed as a baby)--> '''Sarmoti''': Top of the mornin'!--> '''Larry''': Nice day!--> '''Snack''': What a baby might say!* RealSongThemeTune: John Goodman singing Elvis' "Viva Las Vegas".** Siegfried and Roy's theme song, which was their real theme song for their Vegas show.* RunningGag: "Possession" has one where Larry does an impression of a "swarthy foreign handyman" to woo Kate, who keeps telling him to shut up.* RunningOnAllFours: As part of the animals' Masquerade.* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Sarmoti is often very selfish and inconsiderate.* SeldomSeenSpecies: Snack the gopher. Also there is a minor recurring lynx character.* SpeechImpairedAnimal[=/=]TheUnintelligible: The turkeys. Though it turns out at the end of an episode that they ''can'' speak English, they just sound silly if they do.* StealthPun: One of Sarmoti's friends is a black panther with the voice of an old African-American man.* StrawFeminist: Averted with Lily from the unaired episode "The Siegfried & Roy Movie Fantasy Experience Movie," who's efforts are more to help women be self-sufficient, not convince them that they're better than me. She frequently reprimands Foo Lin for making misandrist statements and is perfectly nice (if a little condescending) to Larry when she first meets him. The unfinished episode on the DVD shows her even trying to help Sarmoti grow out of his dated, misogynistic tendencies.* StrictlyFormula: Creator/AdultSwim bumpers quipped that despite the funny animals and heavy usage of sex and toilet humor, none of the plots would be out of place in a 1960s or 70s era sitcom.* TheSwearJar: Siegfried makes Roy put money in a swear jar in "Larry's Debut and Sweet Darryl Hannah, Too" for mentioning Queen Nefertiti, most likely due to part of her name sounding like "titty".* TakeThat** In the pilot episode, Sierra and Hunter were watching a movie, whose cover had a picture of a lion with a crown.-->'''Hunter:''' What's happening now?-->'''Sierra:''' Oh, [[Disney/TheLionKing Simba]] was sad, and then [[StarWars Darth]] [[Creator/JamesEarlJones Vader]] said some made up African crap.** The antelope who bullies Hunter compares him to Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion.** Sarmoti describes one of his dates as "easier to get into than Florida State."[[note]]The college, not the actual state.[[/note]]* StarringSpecialEffects* StealthPun: Sarmoti's BlackBestFriend is a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_Party black panther]].* TalkingAnimal: All the animals can speak.* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Some of the female animals, like Foo Lin the panda and the female antelope, wear bows on their heads.* TokenMinority: several, particularly Chutney the Indian elephant.* TooSexyForThisTimeSlot: What some parents thought about the first episode's "Mounting Time" joke.* TorchesAndPitchforks: Subverted, in that the animals carrying them were going to a tiki party/harvest festival. DoubleSubverted when they get mad and need something to express their anger... so they drop their weapons and pick up some large rocks.* TotallyRadical:--> '''Kate''': "I wanna raise the roof! Get jiggy with it! Do the wild thing!"--> '''Foo Lin''': "Why are you [[JiveTurkey talking like a black man from 1991]]?"* TransparentCloset:** Chutney. [[RunningGag The turkey is]] [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial just his roommate]].** Hunter. Though that may just be Sarmoti [[DeadpanSnarker being Sarmoti]].--> (Hearing Hunter singing [[Music/ToriAmos "Silent All These Years"]] in the bathroom) "Are we still pretending [[GetBackInTheCloset he's not gay]]?"* TypicalCartoonAnimalColors: Emerson the lobster is red like a cooked lobster rather than brown like a live one.* WellDoneSonGuy: [[RuleOfThree Sarmoti again,]] although he's Larry's father-in-law.-->"Larry, I want you to know that even if you were my real son, I'd be pretty disappointed - but I'd make do."* YesMan: Sarmoti's personal assistant.* YouALLLookFamiliar: Weekly viewers would notice the same 'extras' filling out crowd scenes episode to episode.----